It is not only about another cliche that the fans can make the difference.

Flamengo, the most popular Brazilian team according to the last survery (14% of the country), was ranked 19 in the current Brazilian Championship (Brasileirao) after the end of the first half of the tournament.

It is true that the team had 4 games yet to play due to the Pan 2007, cause Maracana remained focused in the competition during those days. After that, Flamengo had 17 games home. They won 13, tied 3 and lost just one. The results put the team into the third place of the tournament just one round to go. Better than that, Flamengo is already one of the 4 teams to make Libertadores 2008.

The crowd was amazing during that come-from-behind. Game after game, the team set news records of attendence. Numbers that could be compared to the Premiership or the Bundesliga. In the last 6 games home, at Maracanain Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo had more than 60.000 people watching. Last Sunday's game, against Atletico Paranaense, 2 x 0, was attended by 87.000 expectators.

Here some videos about this madness created between Flamengo and its crowd during the tournament that led a not-so-good-team into the final three. The crowd is of the most creatives, starting songs that usually are used by other teams in the country. Feel it.

Botafogo leads the Brazilian Championship after 6 rounds with a powerfull offensive line and many beautiful goals. But the goalkeeper Julio Cesar is, by far, the problem of the team. He drove mad some of the fans of Garrincha's former carioca club.   Watch it (the game was Botafogo 3 x 1 Nautico at Maracana)

The play, even worst than the one from Paul Robinson, is not the fisrt bad moment for him this season. He was blamed for semifinal lost against Figueirense in the Brazil Cup and also were sent off aftr a penalty kick in one of the important games against Flamengo in the State Championship.

This Saturday the National Brazilian League, Brasileirão, kicks off.

Of course our best players are in Europe.

Certainly our managers suck.

Definitely our fans are not really well treated.

But nowhere else in the world a championship is so difficult to win.

2007 Brasileirão, like every year, starts with, at least, 12 teams with real chances to win it.

I am not talking surprising results. I am talking about major and favorite teams.

It is not by accident that in 37 years in the so called Brasileirão, 17 teams were already Champions.

The greatest winner, Flamengo, have only 5 titles, the same number Real Madrid can have in a single decade in the Spanish League.

In 2007, including the polemic title of Sport Recife in 1987, 14 of the 20 clubs in first division already won a title.

Brasileirão is always unpredictable. There are no Liverpool/Manuted/Arsenal/Chelsea. There are no Real Madrid/Barcelona. There are no Milan/Inter/Juve. No Boca/River domination! 

By the way, the Brasileirão will be played by the following teams:

América-RN
Atlético-MG - 1 title
Atlético-PR - 1 title
Botafogo - 1 title
Corinthians - 4 titles
Cruzeiro - 1 title
Figueirense 
Flamengo - 5 titles
Fluminense - 1 title
Grêmio - 2 titles
Internacional - 3 titles
Juventude
Náutico
Palmeiras - 4 titles
Paraná
Santos - 2 titles
São Paulo - 4 titles (defending champion)
Sport - 1 title (recognized by CBF, but polemic)
Vasco - 4 titles

Four last places are relegated to Serie B, top four plays 2008 Libertadores.  

Teams play all against each other both home and away.